Project: Historical Issue in Criminal Justice

History of Police Bias and How it Affects Criminal Justice System in the U.S. Name Institution Course and Code Professor Date History of Police Bias and How it Affects Criminal Justice System in the U.S. The issue of police bias began a long time ago, usually dating back to the slavery era. Indeed, it has continued to be a systemic problem throughout the history of the United States (U.S.). For instance, in 1693, police officers in Philadelphia were allowed to stop, frisk, and detain African Americans. Biased policing has been a significant problem in the U.S. that leads to discrimination against specified classes of individuals portrayed through the delivery of policing services or the performance of duties by law enforcement agencies. For example, statistically, black people have been affected by the issue of police bias such that the probability of apprehending them or sentencing them harshly is higher than that of their white counterparts. The paper focuses on how the problem of police bias has influenced the criminal justice system in the U.S. and the policies or laws that historically address this problem. The Problem of Police Bias, and Its Effects on the U.S. Criminal Justice System Police bias has significant adverse impacts on the criminal justice system of the U.S. Natasha Madon and Kristina Murphy assert that biased policing is the primary factor that reduces the level of public trust in law enforcers (Madon & Murphy, 2021). If people believe that police officers are just and that they treat everyone equally, they are likely not to hesitate to report criminal activities since they trust that the right actions will be taken. However, if individuals perceive law enforcers to be biased, they are unlikely to reach out to them since no justice is likely to prevail. The issue of police bias affects various things that influence how law enforcers engage in their duties. They include policing behavior, criminal risk assessments, rates of arrests, community policing, rates of incarceration, and criminal suspect sentencing. For example, policing behavior can be affected by implicit bias, which makes law enforcers associate criminal activities with groups of people from specific ethnicities, races, or cultures. Currently, African American men have a higher likelihood of being stopped, frisked, and apprehended by police officers than their white counterparts. Historical D...